For any company interpreter, emotion is a tool to be skillfully wielded. During interpreter training, one learns that projecting the same emotions as your sources are a part of the job. The interpreter is more than a channel, they are an advocate and representative for another person. Interpreters have a responsibility to deliver an honest rendition of what a person is saying, and this includes expressions and mannerisms. For this reason, interpreters can benefit from applying acting techniques to not only develop their skillset, but also learn to control their emotions.
Obviously acting and interpreting are different fields, however both share similarities in practice. For both actors and interpreters, vocal techniques and physical adjustments can help enhance performance. Additionally, suppressing or conjuring emotion is equally useful for both professions. The top 3 ways that acting techniques can help a professional interpreter are the following:
1. Admitting nervousness: When working in a setting that faces an audience, such as a conference interpreter, we tend to let our nerves drive the situation. Both public speaking and acting performances can benefit from the speaker acknowledging nervousness. It lets them use it to their advantage rather than let it dominate the situation and compromise the message. The key, is to feel the nervousness and embrace the symptoms (sweating, cracked voice, and shaking) usually, after accepting the initial rocky start and its symptoms, a company interpreter or an actor will calm down. The difficulty is to overcome the first minute, and then the body realizes it is not in danger and begins to relax.
2. Emotional control: One of the most effective acting techniques is to recreate a memory in the mind that can either be the opposite or the same (it depends on the assignment) for which the person is interpreting. As a result, the interpreter can draw the emotion out or suppress it by tapping into a specific memory. In truth, interpreters face many assignments that will affect them emotionally, especially when providing legal interpreting services or medical interpreting. Oftentimes, emotional reactions come as a surprise for a professional translating bad news. However, the profession depends on a person’s ability to control these spontaneous reactions. This is why putting acting techniques into play to achieve emotional management is surprisingly effective.
3. Vocal techniques: As an interpreter for a conference or a company interpreter, enunciation and pronunciation are important. The voice is the main instrument and effective communication is the objective. For any person working with speech, training is beneficial because it provides vocal techniques that allow the person to use their voice without exhausting it too soon. Also, when working in an international setting, it is important for the person to be clear for both parties. Vocal training is a practical approach that can provide significant insight.
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